Don’t send these items to Mexico. Buy them here instead.

Recently I ordered my favorite perfume from Amazon.com in the U.S. and had it delivered to my parents’ house, asking them to repackage and send it to me in Mexico. But they couldn’t, of course, because it’s a liquid, and you can’t send liquids through international mail. Not even if they’re medications.

Then I looked on Amazon.com.mx and was surprised to find the perfume for the same price, and it was eligible for free delivery! Now I’ve got Amazon Prime Mexico, and it’s well worth the $899 (US$49) pesos per year even though deliveries of some items take up to three weeks because they’re coming from the States. No more U.S. shipping charges, and no need to pay US$200 per year for the local package forwarding service!

The salts and optical isomers of the aforementioned substances, whenever the existence of such salts is possible

Tobacco

Toxic Gases

Toys

Transfers, Stamps, prints and photographs, printed in colors or in black and white, known as “Garbage Pail Kids,” for sale in packages or envelopes, even including chewing gum, candy or any other article, containing figures or illustrations showing childhood in denigrated and ridiculous manners, inciting to violence, to self-destruction or to any kind of antisocial behavior, and mentioning to have been printed in the U.S. or any other country by “Topps Chewing Gum, Incorporated” or by any company or firm

Confession: I’ve had some restricted and prohibited items shipped from the U.S. to Mexico—toys, for example, and my own used clothing—and they arrived without question, but when handled by the local freight forwarding service, they told me that used household goods and such would be valued at $25 if I failed to provide a value in advance for calculation of import duties, so I assigned garage sale prices to those items in writing, and emailed to the forwarder the same day they were shipped from the U.S.

Keep in mind these prohibitions and restrictions are for shipping/mailing, and may not apply to items you bring with you on a flight or in the car. I’m pretty sure I brought a kitchen scale and other “measuring apparatus (apparati?)” when I drove down the first time. And I’ve brought candy, toys, jewelry, leather goods, etc., without thinking to claim them, and without consequence. Best to check if you have doubts, and buy the item once you get to Mexico, if you can.